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Charter One branches in Ohio to rebrand as Citizens Bank by next year

July 01--Charter One branches next year will be rebranded to Citizens Bank to reflect the parent company and a broader strategy, the bank said Monday.

Charter one is owned by Citizens Financial Group Inc. of Providence, R.I. The bank already uses the Citizens Bank brand in the nine states where it has branches.

The name change from Charter One will happen in Ohio and Michigan next year.

Charter One operates 33 branches in Ohio.

"The name Citizens has been part of our heritage and culture as a company since 1871," Bruce Van Saun, Citizens Financial Group chairman and chief executive officer, said in a news release. "We want to leverage this strong brand to provide a consistent, high-quality banking experience to all of our customers, wherever we do business. We aspire for Citizens to become a top-performing regional bank, and this rebranding effort is part of our strategy to grow our business in the Midwest and beyond."

The Citizens' logo is similar to the green Charter One logo.

The bank's commercial banking division also will change -- from RBS Citizens to Citizens Commercial Banking -- in the fourth quarter of this year. Select consumer lending businesses serving customers outside the Citizens retail footprint will be branded Citizens One, the company said.

Van Saun was joined by Charter One Ohio President Joe DiRocco in a Cleveland rally Monday to announce the change.

"Our colleagues are energized by this and other recent investments in growth of our business in Ohio," DiRocco said.

The bank said it recently launched several enhancements for customers, including its Premier Banking wealth-management service and its Bank Better initiative, which includes such things as a $5 Overdraft Pass, which eliminates overdraft fees for transactions of $5 or less and upgraded ATMs to extend the banking day, with deposits registering as late as 10 p.m. on business days.

Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her @blinfisherABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/BettyLinFisherABJ and see all her stories at www.ohio.com/betty

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